It will soon be fifteen years since a stunning group appeared on the Russian stage, winning the heart of every man - the VIA Gra group. Over the entire history of its existence, more than ten soloists have changed, and therefore few people now remember who was part of the first composition of Viagra, from which it all began. So who was at the origins? What was the very first line-up of Viagra, the legendary female Russian pop group? Let's remember.
History of the group's creation
Two friends, two talented musicians, two music-obsessed people eager to change the world, decided to create a new women's group that will change ideas about the Russian stage. In 2000, successful television producer Dmitry Kostyuk and composer Konstantin Meladze, having analyzed the success of the Spice Girls in the West and Blestyashchie in Russia, joined forces to create a new group that would not only be able to compete with popular groups, but would also become a standard for them.
A little history
As mentioned above, Viagra was created in 2000. It was founded by Dmitry Kostyuk and Konstantin Meladze. At that time, two girls sang in the group - Alena Vinnitskaya and Nadezhda Granovskaya. A little later, Tatyana Naynik and Anna Sedokova joined them.
Since the creation of the project, the composition of the team has changed several times. From a duet, the group turned into a trio, and then suddenly became a quartet. Then the producers returned to the idea with three participants. The girls in the team changed quite often. The main selection criterion was bright external data and at least a little musical talent.
The “long-livers” of the team include Vera Brezhneva, Albina Dzhanabaeva and Anna Sedokova. The “golden” composition of the group, which combined beauty and talent, is considered to be Nadezhda Granovskaya, Vera Brezhneva and Anna Sedokova.
In 2013, there was a complete “reboot” of the team. Its participants were Misha Romanova, Anastasia Kozhevnikova and Erica Herceg.
At the end of 2020, the composition of the group changed again. At that time, Ulyana Sinetskaya, Erica Herceg and Olga Meganskaya sang in it. The group continues to perform in this composition to this day.
Selection of soloists
Since the task was not easy, the work progressed very slowly. The first composition of Viagra took a very long time to recruit. The first to join the group was Alena Vinnitskaya, at that time the TV presenter of the Biz-TV channel, whose general director was Dmitry Kostyuk. He invited the talented and smart girl to participate in the project, but she doubted it for a long time, as she preferred rock music. The interest to see what would come of this idea prevailed over doubts, and Vinnitskaya agreed.
Numerous castings did not produce results; the producers could not find those who would fit the group’s format one hundred percent. The first composition of “Viagra” - Alena Vinnitskaya and selected girls Marina Kashchin and Yulia Miroshnichenko - began work on the first compositions, but the result did not satisfy Konstantin Meladze and Dmitry Kostyuk, and they decided to close the project.
After some time, they returned to their unrealized dream and started all over again, only this time they began to be even more demanding of applicants for a place in VIA Gre.
Vera Brezhneva
After Alena Vinnitskaya, the post of “light girl” in the group was taken by Vera Brezhneva. After 4 years, she left the team and began a solo career under the leadership of Konstantin Meladze, whose wife she is currently. Vera also starred in several films.
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Not a trio, but a duet
It was originally planned that VIA Gra would consist of three amazingly attractive and charming girls who could sing. Desperate to find suitable soloists, the producers thought about creating a solo project with Vinnitskaya. But Nadezhda Granovskaya became an unexpected discovery for them. The girl met all the requirements, the main one being a stunning sexy appearance. Thus, Viagra was finally formed.
The first line-up (photo above) did not last long, but did a lot.
“Attempt No. 5” was the name of the girls’ first song, which instantly made them incredibly popular - they literally woke up famous. This happened on the fourth of September 2000, the day after the premiere of the composition on the Biz-TV channel. The debut was “Stopudovy Hit”, “Golden Firebird” and “Golden Weight”. The group's first album was released in 2001.
Many years have passed since then, and the soloists in the group often changed, but no one will argue with the fact that Alena Vinnitskaya and Nadezhda Granovskaya are the real, very first VIA Gra. By the way, are you wondering why the group was named that way? There are several versions.
Spectacular member of the Viagra group Erica Herceg
Member of the Viagra group Erica Herceg was born on July 5, 1988 in the village of Malaya Dobron. The girl grew up in the family of a fireman. Erica has a younger brother. The girl began her education in a Hungarian school. After 5 years, Eric’s parents transferred her to study at a church reform lyceum. Since then, Herceg began to sing in the choir at the church in Hungarian.
After receiving a diploma of secondary education, Erica entered the Transcarpathian Rakoczi Institute at the Faculty of Economics. After 3 years, Herceg received a bachelor's degree and decided not to continue her studies. Erica moved to Kyiv. There she began her modeling career, presenting lingerie at shows.
At the beginning of 2013, Erica took part in the show “I Want Viagra.” The girl sang the song “Truce,” which the judges of the project liked. Herceg was accepted into the main team. Then the tracks “Oxygen” and “I got another one” appeared. The songs sounded in the voice of Erica and her colleagues.
Origin of the band's name
It turns out that the team was not named after the drug of the same name. According to one version, “VIA Gra” is a combination of the abbreviation “vocal-instrumental ensemble” and the word “gra” (in Russian - “game”).
According to another, the name consists of the first letters of the soloists' surnames. "VI" - Vinnitskaya and "GRA" - Granovskaya. "A" between them for readability.
However, the sexy appearance of the artists, members of the group, is more inclined to be associated with a well-known medical drug. In addition, the name is perceived the same way by ear.
How the “little one from Viagra” Nadezhda Granovskaya has changed
The artist changed her image, but remained a “goddess” and the Ukrainian Monica Bellucci.
Many people learned about Nadezhda Granovskaya-Meikher thanks to her participation in the ViaGra women's group. Even then, the singer captivated the audience with her magnetism and attractive appearance and for many became one of the most beautiful women in Ukraine.
Now Nadezhda lives with her family in Kyiv. She has three children, her youngest daughter will turn four in October. At 37, Granovskaya is in her creative prime. Some time ago, the singer admitted that she always wanted to do ballet - she realized this dream in adulthood. Nadezhda regularly shows subscribers the results of her pointe training and receives compliments and support on this matter.
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"From the ship to the ball"???????????? Having returned from tour, and knowing how invigorating sport is, I went straight there ???????????????? Sending you a motivational kiss?????????? #tour2019 #Nadezhdameikher #sport #balletforadults
Publication from NADEZHDA MEIHER (@nadyameiher) July 22, 2020 at 6:39 PDT
Granovskaya did not give up singing either - she still records songs, but she has diluted her repertoire with operatic works. Some fans note that this is not her style. However, Nadezhda insists that “we cannot remain at the same level.”
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Rehearsing “Caruso”???? Guitar - Alexey Morozov. Piano - Alexey Saranchin. #singer #singing #Nadezhdameikher #nadia #repetition
Posted by NADEZHDA MEIHER (@nadyameiher) May 15, 2020 at 5:52 PDT
In addition to music and dancing, the woman writes poetry and produces her own clothing line called “MeiherByMeiher”. The cost of her outfits, as a rule, does not exceed 10 thousand rubles.
Not long ago, Granovskaya changed her image - she cut off her mop of long black hair and surprised fans with a short hairstyle, which she still wears. Now Nadezhda is vacationing in Italy. The other day she published a vacation photo in which she appeared without makeup. Users noticed that the artist stays away from the currently fashionable plumped lips, drawn-on eyebrows and eyelash extensions. R
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Don't admire #italy????????? not possible... Its nature, architecture, careful attitude towards historical buildings..., cuisine ????????. And ice cream (#gelato), at this rate, I’ll soon turn into #gelato myself???? I have been traveling to Italy for many years (about 14 years) (my son lived here for some time.) I have been buying fabrics for my brand @meiherbymeiher for three years now. But interest in this country does not fade... What country besides the homeland???? Are you excited and in love? #hopemeicher #italy???????? #vacation with family #pleasant and useful
Posted by NADEZHDA MEIHER (@nadyameiher) Aug 15, 2020 at 11:11 PDT
“You are beautiful, so real”, “It’s nice to see a natural face!”, “You are gorgeous without makeup,” - such comments are left by her fans.
Alena Vinnitskaya: facts from biography
It was with this girl that the history of the group began. She joined the first cast of VIA Gra, and to this day her name is associated with the team. Alena Vinnitskaya participated in the project of Meladze and Kostyuk for three years, after which she left the group and set off on a free voyage through the expanses of show business. Despite the fact that the artist already has eight solo albums and thousands of fans in Russia and Ukraine, critics call the VIA Gra period the most successful stage of her creative life.
Albina Dzhanabaeva
Albina Dzhanabaeva is the record holder of VIA Gra. She sang in the group for 9 years. As a veteran and the main voice of the group, she often scolded the other members after concerts. After leaving the group, she took up a solo career, but has not yet been able to repeat the success of Brezhneva and Loboda. She is also the wife of Valery Meladze.
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Nadezhda Granovskaya: some facts from life
A young provincial girl, Nadezhda Meikher, who came from the outback to the capital of Ukraine, managed to get into the first lineup of the Viagra group. Names changed, soloists left, new ones came to replace them, but Nadezhda Granovskaya turned out to be the most frequent guest in the group. She left the group several times, then returned again. The reasons for this were different - pregnancy, conflicts within the team, etc. However, the door was always open for her at VIA Gre. An interesting fact is that before participating in the project, Nadezhda Granovskaya had no vocal experience at all. “VIA Gra” taught her to sing and turned her into a real star. Now she is a successful singer, actress and TV presenter.
All formulations of Viagra with photos: January 2003-May 2004 – Anna Sedakova, Nadezhda Granovskaya, Vera Brezhneva
The group is not left without a blonde, and Alena is replaced by Vera Brezhneva, who had great success in VIA Gre. This trio was called the “golden lineup”, which became the most productive and successful in work for the entire existence of the group to this day: they received the first MUZ TV music awards and recorded duets with Valery Meladze on the songs “Ocean and Three Rivers”, “More Gravity” No".
In 2004, Sedakova left the group. Anya arranged her personal life by getting married and giving birth to a daughter. After this, she began her career as a solo singer. After some time, she marries a second time and gives birth to a second daughter. Now Sedakova is also developing her own clothing brand, La Story Store.
Nadezhda Granovskaya from Viagra found her calling
As you know, last year the Viagra group officially ceased to exist. According to producer Konstantin Meladze, the group has long outlived its usefulness. The members of the last group supported Meladze’s decision.
What was the fate of the Viagra vocalists after leaving the group? Eva Bushmina began pursuing a solo career, and Alina Dzhanabaeva is trying herself as a presenter and also acting in films. As you know, Alina is an actress by profession, and it was not difficult for her to change her role.
The most famous member of the group, Nadezhda Granovskaya, radically changed her life. According to some sources, the ex-Viagra participant decided to become an actress. She was offered to play a role in a film directed by Yulia Kulibina. According to the plot, she must play the role of a woman whose character is completely different from the character of Granovskaya herself. However, this did not stop Nadezhda. According to her, it was difficult for her to play the role of the “Iron Lady,” but during the auditions she showed unprecedented acting abilities. For her co-star, Sergei Astakhov, Nadezhda Granovskaya’s acting talents also became a revelation.
This is Nadezhda's first role in a big movie. Before that, she only had to act in videos. The viewer could recognize Nadezhda as an actress only from her roles in musicals such as “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, “Sorochinskaya Fair” and others.
After the news that the singer would make her debut in a Russian comedy, the press became interested in Nadezhda’s musical career. To the main question that torments fans of the Ukrainian beauty, whether she will pursue a solo career, Granovskaya replied that for now she plans to engage only in acting. Although the singer does not rule out that in the future she will record a solo album and return to the Russian stage. According to her, filming will be an excellent chance to express herself in a new creative field.
For now, Nadezhda Granovskaya relies only on the mercy of directors who will agree to work with her. In order for her dream of an acting career to become a reality, Nadezhda is doing everything possible. She does not even deny the fact that amulets help her in her work. The singer told reporters that talismans give her strength and help her discover her talents. An astrologer helped her in choosing stones that would bring good luck.
To the singer’s delight, the astrologer advised her to wear diamonds. They have magical powers and are able to attract good luck to the side of their owner. In addition, Nadezhda acquired a diamond pendant, which is designed to strengthen her character and enhance her positive qualities. The stones for the girl were selected taking into account her zodiac sign Aries.
In addition, with the help of an astrologer, Nadezhda Granovskaya was able to lose extra pounds. To do this, she had to go on a diet that suits her zodiac sign. Now the singer can accurately tell what phase the moon is in and adjust her entire day to it. Granovskaya does not hide the fact that she began to live according to the laws of nature. She uses the lunar calendar in literally everything, be it a trip to the stylist or a trip abroad.
